


After The Fall

by TheatricalAssassin



Category: Destiny (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Fireteam: Moontrance, Gen, Post-Towerfall, post-Homecoming, robot gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-09
Updated: 2017-11-09
Packaged: 2019-01-31 03:41:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12673668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheatricalAssassin/pseuds/TheatricalAssassin
Summary: When a Hunter wears the cloak of another, it's a promise





	After The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> i honestly just hope this is good i'm sorry it took me so long to write it.

The City burns, the last city, the city xe was supposed to protect. Smoke rose through what remained of the buildings, into the sky that held the ships of the Cabal. It burned, and it did so under the banner of The Red Legion. The brilliant city that xe had known for so long reduced to nothing. Monsters roam the streets, towering pillars of might that before were an easy task but now are an insurmountable foe. Veton had limped out here hours ago, xe couldn’t remember how much long ago now, this was the spot that Raina had told them to meet had anything happened, but it’s never taken this long. Neither Ember nor Raina was ever late. Gently xe rocked back and forth, towards and away from The City, the Ruins, waiting for them. Waiting and waiting, praying that The Traveler will deliver to xem this one thing. Just this once. 

Heavy thudding came from behind, Veton jumped to xyr feet whirling around to see who or what was marching on xyr location. Only to come face to face with an eyeless red exo carrying a sapphire exo over her shoulders. Part of her face was missing, the lights in her mouth flickered sporadically as her jaw dangled loosely. She turned her head drastically left and right as far as it would go as she tromped through the grass. Veton realized this was because one of her sensors was gone, Raina is half blind. 

“Raina!” Veton croaked 

“Veton? Is that you? Thank the Traveler” the distortion in her voice so thick, Veton felt a twinge in xyr chest. “We can’t stay here. Cabal will be on us soon. We need to get as far away from here as possible.” 

“I know of some places that we can hide out,” Veton’s eyes drifted to Ember as xe spoke, xe had never seen nem so still. “it’s far from here but if we don’t stop for anything we  _ might _ be able to keep ahead of them.”  _ I just don’t know how to find it _ , xe conveniently left out. The last thing Raina needed to hear was Veton had a vision. It would be the last thing xe would have wanted to hear. 

With the titan’s approval, they set out. 

To say it was a mad dash would be inaccurate. They moved swiftly yes, but this was not the time for rushing. They walked and walked, avoiding well used paths as the enemy would check there first. Days past but they didn’t stop. Gunshots sang through the tundra, echoing through the Twilight Gap. Fear unlike they have felt for a very, very long time rushes back with each one. 

Veton turned back to check on Raina and Ember. Even with her immeasurable strength xe saw her whole being shaking, without their Light they were pushing themselves too hard. Facing forward again xe continued on the path, chances are, they couldn’t stop. Even though xe knew very well that they both wanted to. 

“This way,” xe said “there might be somewhere we can hole up for a night.”

“ _ Might _ ?” Raina asked incredulously 

“Given, everything, I can’t count on places I knew were safe to still be safe.” Veton explained “I’ll still scout ahead when we get there but we might not be able to stop.”

Xe got no other response than an irritated grunt from the titan but she followed xem nonetheless. The whines of their systems trying to keep them going grew steadily louder, the only one who remained silent was Ember, still unmoving and unresponsive. An unnatural silence had fallen over nem, and without nem, the world was unnaturally silent. Carefully xe guided Raina over the rocky terrain, sidling close to the canyon walls to allow her something to see. As they walked xe saw a gap with a log that had fallen, it would have to do for a bridge.  

“Step” xe said simply walking onto it, stepping hard hoping that the sound would be enough for Raina to follow 

Xe watched her carefully step up, adjusting the extra weight on her shoulders so that she doesn’t fall off the side. Heavy footfalls echoed through the canyon as the Guardian xe used to consider a walking fortress struggle across the gap. One foot in front of the other, legs shaking as the tread on her boots struggled to find purchase. Veton took this opportunity to sit, they could afford a small rest once Raina gets across. Step by step she made it across, feeling it out whenever she could. Veton watched her ready to help Ember off her shoulders. She took another step and Ember started to slide. The sudden shift in movement caused her to try to correct it, she took another step and they fell. 

It happened in slow motion, Ember sliding off Raina taking her down with nem. Veton’s body too slow, too sluggish, reaching out to them trying to grab a hold of them. The two fell to the ground in perfect harmony, a loud sickening crashing as the bodies bounced off of the ground a few times before falling silent. The sound still echoing in Veton’s audials xe looked over the edge in horror, xyr two friends, the two xe had run with for so many years. The friends that xe always had their backs and they had xyrs. Motionless, silent, sparking, the longer xe looked the more xe realized that, that they might not make it. 

Ships flew overhead, touching down in a clearing, looking closely Veton noticed, those are ships from The City. Xe looked back to xyr companions, xe couldn’t carry both of them, xe couldn’t get down there to help them. Not without someone else. Xe tore off in the direction of the small squad of ships, running as fast as xyr legs would carry xe made the first jump to the other side of the crevice and kept running towards them, praying to any that would listen, that those ships would stay. Xe could see people starting to come out of the ships, survivors, survivors from The City. Xe ran harder, one foot after another getting closer and closer. Before xe fell, misjudging how far they could run before xe ran out of world. Tumbling and falling, crashing loudly against the rock. 

When the noises stopped, but the world kept spinning, a woman’s voice cut through the silence.

“Are you alright?” Concern shone through like the Traveler’s Light, she must have seen that

“The others...” Veton said “There’s two others,” xe pointed back the way xe came. Xe tried to say something again, but all that came out was static 

The woman stared hard down at the fallen guardian, and began barking orders and running towards xyr fireteam. Someone else picked xem up and began to carry xem away. Xyr limbs became heavier, xyr optics closed, and there was nothing. 

When Veton awoke, xe was in a run down building, filled with makeshift bedding and not one was unoccupied. Xe sat up and looked around, if they brought xyr here surely they brought Raina and Ember? 

“Woah woah woah,” a woman said placing her hand on Veton’s chest, gently pushing xem back down onto the bed “Not so fast, you went through a lot getting out of The City.”

“Where are they?” Veton asked looking around as much as the woman would allow 

“Where is who?” Her voice even and steady

“My fireteam, two exos, a warlock and a titan.” Veton said craning xyr neck “Ember and Raina, do you know where they are?” 

She didn’t answer, she removed her hand and allowed Veton to sit up properly. The sound of silence screamed through xyr audials. Why wasn’t she saying anything?

“There’s two Guardians, they’re...” she paused “Come with me.” 

She held out her hand and Veton took it, following closely as the woman walked away. As they walked the patients that they passed got worse and worse, xe quickly realized, this was some sort of trauma unit. Humans, Awoken, and Exo all being treated for injuries of varying degree. She walked quickly and Veton followed close behind. After what felt like eons, she came to a stop, before them were two Exos. Brilliant Crimson Rania, her paint showing scuffs and , her jaw was realigned but her sensors were still heavily damaged. Her armor had been stripped and had been dressed in clothes to make repairs easy while also giving her some semblance of privacy. Ember, soft sapphire Ember, just like Raina next to her her robes and armor had been stripped and given regular clothes. Ne had no, visible injuries, but xe couldn’t tell why ne was still offline. 

The woman left xem alone.  Alone with two Guardians who showed no signs of stirring, no semblance of life or Light. Veton kneeled down between their beds and took each of their hands. Their digits cold and limp. A Hunter stalks the wilds alone, but always comes back to the fireteam. Always returns with new information, supplies, loot. The woman made a noise behind xem and Veton turned to her, giving her xyr full attention.  

“These are your things” She held a small box out, it had ‘Fireteam: Moontrance’ written on it. “Everything was damaged, not much if any of it is salvageable,” She said distantly, as if reading off a script “But given, everything, you three will probably want something familiar in the coming days.” 

Xe took it mumbling a thank you and left. Xe walked past countless ghosts, not Ghosts, but ghosts. Survivors all hollow shells of themselves, survivors with very little or nothing left. Survivors like xem, who only have a box. Walking to the edge of the farm, between the woods and the remnants of civilization, xe found a small spot that would serve xem as xyr resting place. Just enough over the buildings to see everything, just far enough away that no one will bother xem, and just close enough that xe will know when xe is needed. 

Veton opened the box, and only found two things worth keeping. A shattered bond and a ruined mark. Xe took the mark and fumbled with xyr belt until it hung from xyr waist, the mark of a formidable Titan. One whose service to The Last Safe City is one of the charge of protecting humanity, the Light, history, and no more history shown through than the battle scarred material darkened with ash and riddled with holes. Xe picked up the bond, the image of a phoenix flickering and shimmering in xyr hands. Was it always supposed to do that? Xe recalled Ember’s bond shining as a light of it’s own, but looking closely Veton saw the truth of the matter. Irreversible damage, the bond barely able to sustain it’s systems without the Light of it’s owner. With a heavy heart, Veton slide the bond upon xyr left arm. It felt like once it held the key to many hidden mysteries, secrets that only the astute could puzzle out. Now it barely looked pretty, and the only secret it bared was whose it was. 

Xyr own cloak had been placed in the box alongside their damaged gear, xe took it out holding it in xyr hands. Xe placed it on the ground next to xem and began to pick up some sticks around xem. Arranging them in the best manner for a small fire, once satisfied xe worked on lighting it. A small cinder, a spark, the potential for everlasting destruction if wielded correctly. For now, all it needed to do was start the campfire, and it did that well. Once fear of smothering the flame had grown distant Veton picked up xyr cloak once more and draped it over xyr handywork. It was too much, looking at xyr tattered cloak. The material burned, it burned away everything it had ever seen, ever experienced. Everything. 

Veton smothered the flame, putting it out in totality, pouring dirt over it and stomping it out. The Red Legion think itself a torride of flame, to rain down from the heavens and destroy everything it touches. No Daybreak nor Havoc ever stood a chance against a single shot of Void. 

Light or no light, there is an unspoken word among Hunters. Armed with a Mark and a Bond, a new wall is erected and a new promise is made. A wall that can be found at the edge of a Hunter’s knife, and a promise on xyr sleeves. 


End file.
